NOBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has appealed to politicians in
government to be wary of manipulating the justice system in order not to reduce
society to anarchy.
Professor Soyinka who was responding to questions from journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday while attending the Garden City Literary Festival, the edition which is part of countdown to Port Harcourt’s year as the 2014 World Book Capital expressed sadness at the political development in the state.
“I think that the judiciary right now while it is trying to reform itself, recognizes the fact that there are still some dark areas and I think it is the effect of the dark areas that seems to be creating a crisis in Rivers State right now.... I am just alarmed. I am alarmed that a situation exists at all where it strikes me, it appears to me that the judiciary is being manipulated. That is the impression which I had and that is an alarm which should be sounded in every corner of the nation”, Prof. Soyinka said.
Soyinka also lashed out at pettiness in governance at any level, saying that it is not appropriate for any government in a democratic situation to pay attention to small and unimportant issues rather than the serious matters.
He said: “Witch-hunting is a very heavy word. Let me just say this generally that I hate evidence of pettiness in governance. I think pettiness at any level is unbecoming of any democratic situation. That is all I want to say about that. I see that I cannot escape all what is going on. I have also put some questions myself, I mean, obviously, I am a citizen of this nation, so I am affected personally by what is happening at the opposite end of the nation.
“Those who feel that any kind of transgression of the collective rights of groups will not affect, will not have a kind of ripple effect which will affect other parts of the nation must be living in a cloud… and so I am concerned, and I will be quite frank with you.
“I am very much concerned about the imbroglio in which the state (Rivers State) appears to be involved at the moment and my main comment is for heaven’s sake, whatever happens internally between parties and so on, please don’t debase and don’t manipulate the judiciary. That is my appeal to governance at all levels. Please do not manipulate the judiciary because when you do you have chaos, you have total anarchy, you reduce the nation to a space of complete breakdown of law and order which is what this nation had better avoid,” he said.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the grounding of the Rivers State Government’s private aircraft by the aviation regulatory body, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as a glaring case of political witch-hunt, despite the tepid denial of all concerned.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the action also amounted to gross abuse of national institutions and a pointer to what laid ahead for all perceived enemies of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.
It said the worst part of the whole issue was the fact that a body like NCAA, which was supposed to carry out its all-important duties without political interference, but in accordance with stipulated global standards, had now become a tool in the hands of vindictive politicians.
“First, the plane was ostensibly grounded in Akure because the pilot did not declare the flight’s manifest to the appropriate authorities. Then it was said that the plane’s clearance certificate has expired, hence it was banned from flying in the Nigerian airspace. How low can a government sink just to get at a perceived enemy?
“The questions that arise, therefore, are: Has the clearance certificate for the plane really expired? When did it expire? Was this communicated to the Rivers State Government before the plane was grounded? If so, when, and if not, why not? In any case, would the NCAA have acted with so much alacrity if the plane had belonged to a State whose Governor has no political differences with President Jonathan?
Professor Soyinka who was responding to questions from journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday while attending the Garden City Literary Festival, the edition which is part of countdown to Port Harcourt’s year as the 2014 World Book Capital expressed sadness at the political development in the state.
“I think that the judiciary right now while it is trying to reform itself, recognizes the fact that there are still some dark areas and I think it is the effect of the dark areas that seems to be creating a crisis in Rivers State right now.... I am just alarmed. I am alarmed that a situation exists at all where it strikes me, it appears to me that the judiciary is being manipulated. That is the impression which I had and that is an alarm which should be sounded in every corner of the nation”, Prof. Soyinka said.
Soyinka also lashed out at pettiness in governance at any level, saying that it is not appropriate for any government in a democratic situation to pay attention to small and unimportant issues rather than the serious matters.
He said: “Witch-hunting is a very heavy word. Let me just say this generally that I hate evidence of pettiness in governance. I think pettiness at any level is unbecoming of any democratic situation. That is all I want to say about that. I see that I cannot escape all what is going on. I have also put some questions myself, I mean, obviously, I am a citizen of this nation, so I am affected personally by what is happening at the opposite end of the nation.
“Those who feel that any kind of transgression of the collective rights of groups will not affect, will not have a kind of ripple effect which will affect other parts of the nation must be living in a cloud… and so I am concerned, and I will be quite frank with you.
“I am very much concerned about the imbroglio in which the state (Rivers State) appears to be involved at the moment and my main comment is for heaven’s sake, whatever happens internally between parties and so on, please don’t debase and don’t manipulate the judiciary. That is my appeal to governance at all levels. Please do not manipulate the judiciary because when you do you have chaos, you have total anarchy, you reduce the nation to a space of complete breakdown of law and order which is what this nation had better avoid,” he said.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the grounding of the Rivers State Government’s private aircraft by the aviation regulatory body, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as a glaring case of political witch-hunt, despite the tepid denial of all concerned.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the action also amounted to gross abuse of national institutions and a pointer to what laid ahead for all perceived enemies of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.
It said the worst part of the whole issue was the fact that a body like NCAA, which was supposed to carry out its all-important duties without political interference, but in accordance with stipulated global standards, had now become a tool in the hands of vindictive politicians.
“First, the plane was ostensibly grounded in Akure because the pilot did not declare the flight’s manifest to the appropriate authorities. Then it was said that the plane’s clearance certificate has expired, hence it was banned from flying in the Nigerian airspace. How low can a government sink just to get at a perceived enemy?
“The questions that arise, therefore, are: Has the clearance certificate for the plane really expired? When did it expire? Was this communicated to the Rivers State Government before the plane was grounded? If so, when, and if not, why not? In any case, would the NCAA have acted with so much alacrity if the plane had belonged to a State whose Governor has no political differences with President Jonathan?
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Politics
My brother, ask themoooo, my Daddy, u have d rite word 'PETTINESS'. Na demself dem dey disgrace.. Shameless govt.
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